ALA Booklist (Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

Reviewed with Joan Holub's Why Do Birds Sing? Gr. 1-2. From the Dial Easy-to-Read series, these books offer information and advice organized in question-and-answer format. Each book poses a series of queries and answers them on single pages and double-page spreads. Occasionally a question such as What unusual things can lizards do? leads to an answer that strings sentences together with little transition or connection beyond the broader topic. Other sections read more smoothly. Though the books begin and end with references to reptiles or birds as pets, their cataloging in the 500s reflects their emphasis on the animals' physical characteristics and behavior rather than their care. Birds considers matters such as feathers, diet, and nesting. Snakes looks at the attributes of lizards and turtles as well as snakes. The photos and attractive ink drawings with color washes that come two to three to a page result in a colorful presentation with illustrations in different styles from many sources. Not essential, but these attractive books could hook kids.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2005)

Questions about snakes, lizards, and turtles (e.g., "How do snakes move?" "How well can turtles see, hear, and smell?") are answered in a simply written text accompanied by clear color photos. Unfortunately, DiVito's illustrations hurt the volume's scientific integrity: she gives the animals near-human facial expressions and, in one instance, gives a photo of a lizard a cartoony insect-catching tongue.

Kirkus Reviews

Younger readers with an affinity for all creatures green and scaly will linger over both the sharply detailed photos and the easy but specific text in this three-part Q&A. Holub poses and answers about a half-dozen similar questions for each type of reptile—how many kinds are there? What are the biggest and smallest ones? How well can they see, hear, and smell?—then closes with some basic provisos for prospective pet owners. With DiVito's small watercolors filling in some gaps, the illustrations include well-lit shots of animals eating, posing, and enduring handling by confident-looking children, both in natural settings and with backgrounds removed. Some recommendations for further reading or Web viewing wouldn't have been amiss, but the steady course steered here between the empty hype and numbing barrages of undigested fact offered by similar titles earns it above average marks. (Easy reader/nonfiction. 6-8)

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Holub starts each of these series entries with a broad view of the featured animals and answers questions such as "How many different kinds of birds are there?" and "How do snakes move?" After addressing general questions, the author poses some inquiries for potential pet owners. "Are pet birds easy to take care of?" and "What should I know before getting a pet reptile?" Both books have interesting color photographs and illustrations; bright, colorful headings for the questions; and parenthetical pronunciation guides. The writing style is lively and informative. Like Julia Barnes's 101 Facts about Terrarium Pets (Gareth Stevens, 2002) and Angela Wilkes's Birds (Kingfisher, 2002), these attractive easy-readers are sure to be in constant circulation.-Heather Ver Voort, Washington West Elementary, Olean, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.